Bag under my eye after Restylane 3 weeks ago.

A doctor putted Restylane under my eyes 3 weeks ago. I'm so afraid because I have my eyes like if I was a football player, with two big lines and a big edema or bag inside. The doctor recomend radio frequency but I still look horrible. He asked me to take diuretic and I don't really want to take them...what can I do?

Doctor Answers 6

Eyelid bag following Restylane

August 1st, 2014

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Restylane is a hyaluronic acid (HA) (naturally made in the skin) filler indicated for use in the dermal skin to reduce and soften lines. Its nature is to attract water to give the skin a natural sponginess and resistance against the formation of a fold creating a line.

The skin is cross-linked to the underlying soft tissues and bone by a 3 dimensional mesh of microscopic fibers and tissue layers. This is important so these injectibles stay in place and don't meander down to the ankles.

Fillers are used to increase the volume of the skin and aging sagging or volume lost soft tissues. Injecting them within these fibrous spaces allow them to attract water and volumize or fill the area for a more rejuvenated and fuller appearance.

There are many injectors which use a thin HA, like Restylane, Juvederm Ultra or Silk in eyelid wrinkles to soften them. If the filler is injected into the wrong, thinner soft tissues of the eyelid instead of the dermal skin, they will expand into a "water-filled" bag as you have described. Fillers were themselves cross-linked to maintain themselves for longer periods of time without the natural enzymes breaking them down so your swollen eyelids may not reduce for many months.

You may wish to obtain a consultation from a well experienced board certified plastic surgeon or other expert injector to consider your immediate and longer term options. These include: anti-histamines, hyaluronidase enzyme to quickly dissolve the HA injected and then other non-surgical, minimally invasive and surgical options.

Bag under eyes after Restylane

July 29th, 2014

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Restylane can cause swelling under the eyes but this should resolve by the second week. Depending on the depth the filler was placed (under vs over the muscle) what you may have is just product that's floating under the skin, causing a fluid bag. In this case, I would recommend removing the filler with hyaluronidase.

"This answer has been solicited without seeing this patient and
cannot be held as true medical advice, but only opinion. Seek in-person
treatment with a trained medical professional for appropriate care."

Eye bag from Restylane

July 29th, 2014

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Give it another week and then have the filler dissolved if there is no improvement. There is no reason to be afraid - dissolving the filler should get your eyes back to the way they were before the injections. In my experience, Restylane rarely causes edema which lasts more than a week. Make sure you received genuine Restylane and not a counterfeit product.

Correcting Unsatisfactory Restylane Results

September 22nd, 2014

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Patients
are usually very satisfied with their results after Restylane®, particularly
when they choose a well-qualified, highly trained injector. Although using
Restylane® in the tear troughs is an off-label use, many patients still see
very nice results. Improper placement of Restylane can unfortunately result in
a swollen, bag-like appearance as you're experiencing right now due to an
inaccurate placement of product. In my opinion, the easiest solution at this
point will most likely be to have the Restylane® dissolved and consider trying
it again in the future, but next time from a different practitioner.

These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as
a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you
have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute
or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.